DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – April is recognized as the Month of the Military Child — a time to honor the sacrifices and resilience of children who never signed up for military life but live it every day.
From long deployments to frequent moves and constant uncertainty, military children carry burdens that often go unnoticed.
Mayport Elementary Principal Katie O’Connell says her school feels the weight of deployment season firsthand.
“We have a very large number of parents that are currently deployed, and so that further impacts our children here, and especially with their mental health and their well-being,” O’Connell said. “Also, our military children are really very resilient kids. They have to move around to schools very frequently, make new friends, learn new environments. A lot of times, they’re moving to places they’ve never been before. It’s very nerve-wracking.”
But CSX employees in Jacksonville are doing something to lighten those emotional burdens for military children.
More than 500 “buddy bears” are being stuffed and distributed to students at Mayport Elementary School ahead of the school’s Month of the Military Child celebration this Friday.
CSX’s ‘Pride in Service’ initiative
The bears are part of CSX’s “Pride in Service” initiative, which recognizes the deep connection the company has with the military community.
Angela Costa, senior manager of community investments at CSX, says the effort is personal for many employees.
“Here at CSX, one in five of our employees actually has a tie to the military. That’s why we started our Pride in Service initiative, which is so important to us,” Costa said.
For the families involved, the bears represent far more than a stuffed animal — they are symbols of strength and community support.
Challenges of deployment
Mackenzie Moore, a staff member at Mayport Elementary, knows the challenge of military life up close.
Her husband recently deployed, leaving her to care for their three children on her own.
Moore didn’t hesitate to describe the most challenging part of deployments.
“It’s honestly the homecoming because our routine has been something different than when Dad’s home, so when he’s home, it’s a lot of adjusting to having two parents back in the household and the kids understanding that Dad’s also a parent again and not just the fun person who brought home gifts from all the countries,” Moore said.
‘Grief is a sense of loss’
Social worker Emily Schubert says the emotional toll on military children is real — but so is their capacity to adapt.
“I think most often, sometimes people really associate grief with death, but in reality, grief is a sense of loss. And it’s just that feeling of, ‘I have this feeling of loss, and I have nowhere really to put it,’” Schubert said. “And so that is a common thing that some kids will experience when they have a family member in the military.”
Schubert adds that military children are often among the most at-risk for mental health challenges — but many also become more resilient and adaptable than their peers.
Blooming where they’re planted
Faculty and staff at Mayport Elementary note that the dandelion is the official flower of the military child, symbolizing the idea that these kids “bloom where they are planted” — no matter where life takes them.
Mayport Elementary will host its annual Month of the Military Child celebration this Friday.
The event will feature the Navy band, games, crafts, and the distribution of the buddy bears to students.
As those bears make their way into little hands, the message from the Jacksonville community is clear: military children are seen, valued, and supported.